View Full Version : Playing WAY up the neck clearly....
Fred_Murtz
Mar-22-2004, 1:45pm
What the trick to playing WAY up the neck on those tiny frets (e.g. 20th fret) and sounding a clear sustaining note? Is it more in the hands, or the instrument, of both?
Ken Sager
Mar-22-2004, 2:25pm
Both, accompanied by lots of practice.
Best,
Ken
The three 'P's. Practice, Practice, Practice
grsnovi
Mar-23-2004, 11:33am
I'm thinking there are not enough days left of my time here on the planet to practice hitting clean notes at the 20th fret. I'm pretty sure I would need to modify my fingertips to fret cleanly up there.
John Flynn
Mar-23-2004, 5:00pm
Just FYI, you may want to check out some stuff by Caterina Lictenburg, a classical mando player from Eastern Europe. Her mando has 26 frets. I have a recording and accompanying sheet music of her doing a piece where she does an unbroken run of 32 64th notes that go from the lowest G clear up to that 26th fret on the E string. Every note is perfectly even. The run happens so fast, your brain has a hard time registering what just happened until you look at the sheet music. I listened to that and beat my head against the wall for a while.
Scotti Adams
Mar-23-2004, 5:03pm
..did anyone mention practice?? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
Mandodoc
Mar-23-2004, 5:33pm
The problem is I am getting better calluses on my head than on my fingers.
earthsave
Mar-24-2004, 10:35am
If you are getting calluses on your head, then you definitely are playing it wrong. I'd suggest using your fingers more than your head... but you're the doctor.:p
onlyagibsonisgoodenuff
Mar-24-2004, 10:23pm
20th fret!? Only dogs can hear those notes. I'm considering having my fingerboard de-fretted and scalloped from about 13 on up!
he-day
Mar-25-2004, 12:34pm
I think that lighter strings and lower action might help. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif
Good luck.
Hide Kawatsure
Big Joe
Mar-25-2004, 3:35pm
Maybe Mandodoc was playing by ear and got one stuck??? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif .
2partinvention
Mar-25-2004, 3:49pm
I can play those frets pretty well and my advice is, If you wanna' get them clean first lots of practice, but also if you have just a tiny little bit of fingernail you can press down with the tip of the nail and get them pretty clean like that. As for sustain well those frets dont have much so I'd only work on getting them clean not ringin' for a long time cuz' that probably wont work !
good luck !
It also helps to have a good mandolin.
Dru Lee Parsec
Mar-25-2004, 4:08pm
20th fret!? Only dogs can hear those notes. I'm considering having my fingerboard de-fretted and scalloped from about 13 on up!
As "String Bean" use to say: "There's no money above the 5th fret."
On the other hand, listen and watch to Chris Thile play the solo on Stranded in Kodiak on the Woodsongs concert ( http://www.woodsongs.com/showlist.asp show #287 about 1:50 into the concert ) and you'll hear that even he just gets a quick "pop" of the note and that's it. They just don't sustaing ver long.
Note: He also plays WAY up the neck during the solo of of "Gator Strut" in the same concert around 2:24:45